Liverpool must fix their Mohamed Salah blunder before it is too late

Liverpool attacker Mohamed Salah has been linked with a move away from the Merseyside club in recent months.

Mohamed Salah will be a free agent in the summer of 2025, and the two parties have not been able to agree on an extension yet. The Egyptian international has now fuelled further speculations surrounding his future after the win over Southampton.

In his post-match comments after the win over Southampton this past weekend, the experienced attacker revealed that Liverpool are yet to offer him a new deal. He also added that he is disappointed with the situation and he wants to stay at the club.

He said, “Well, we are almost in December and I haven’t received any offers yet to stay in the club. I’m probably more out than in. I’m not going to retire soon, so I’m just playing, focusing on the season and I’m trying to win the Premier League and hopefully the Champions League. I’m disappointed, but we will see.”

The 32-year-old has been a phenomenal asset for Liverpool since joining the Merseyside club in 2017 from Serie A club AS Roma.

Salah has helped Liverpool win every major trophy at club level, and his departure would be a significant blow for the club. The fact that Liverpool have let his contract run down to the final few months is a travesty in itself, and it will be interesting to see if the club hierarchy decides to sort out the mess in the coming weeks.

Despite being 32, the veteran forward remains one of the best players in the world, and he is certainly the best player at Liverpool. He has been exceptional for the Reds so far and he is the main reason why they are sitting cosy on top of the league table right now.

Liverpool are eight points clear of defending champions Manchester City in the first place, and they will be hoping to win the league title this season. Without Salah, they would have been languishing in the mid-table positions. According to the OPTA statistics, his goals and assists have been worth 17 points to Liverpool this season. Without them, they would be 13 in the league table.

If that is not a huge reason for the club to hand him a new contract, they should also consider the fact that replacing him directly is almost impossible. There are very few players in world football who are elite goalscorers and elite creators as well. And none of them are in the market right now. Liverpool will struggle to fill the void left by Salah if he moves on in the summer.

In addition, the 32-year-old is one of the leaders of the dressing room. His presence on and off the pitch has been crucial to Liverpool’s growth in the last few years. The Liverpool hierarchy has been complacent when it comes to securing the futures of their best players, and they will need to make amends quickly.

Apart from Salah, the futures of Trent Alexander-Arnold and Virgil van Dijk are up in the air as well. The Egyptian international is one of Liverpool’s highest earners, and the club is probably reluctant to hand him another lucrative contract in his thirties.

However, Salah is the exception, and Liverpool must bend their rules for him. Even at 32, he is one of the fittest players around, and the Egyptian has barely missed a game for Liverpool since joining them in 2017. He has looked in peak shape this season as well, and Liverpool must rely on his world-class quality and availability.

Just like Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, the 32-year-old has all the attributes to compete at the highest level deep into his thirties. It would be a huge blunder for Liverpool to get rid of the player who is very much at the peak of his powers. Salah is more than just a top-class performer for the club; he is irreplaceable because of his mentality and discipline as well.

The Egyptian’s numbers against clubs like Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United, and Manchester City suggest that he is a proven performer against the top teams. Liverpool might be able to bring in a quality goalscorer and a quality creator in the near future, but replacing these intangibles will be an uphill challenge for them.

They must look to get the most out of the Egyptian for as long as he is at his best and handing him a contract extension, should be their first priority right now.